Two Golds and a Bronze as GB Tops Table
ParalympicsGB’s rowing squad took two golds and a bronze today as GB topped the table at the sport’s inaugural Paralympic Games regatta on the lake at Shunyi, Beijing.
Helene Raynsford completely dominated her single scull final from start to finish to take gold. Tom Aggar emulated that feat in the equivalent men’s boat but was pushed all the way by the Ukraine.
Later in the session, the mixed adaptive coxed four of Vicky Hansford, Naomi Riches, Alastair Mckean, James Morgan and cox Alan Sherman added a bronze to the medal tally whilst the mixed adaptive double scull of Karen Cromie and James Roberts finished fifth, a significant improvement on their placing of eighth at last year’s world championships in Munich.
“I’m very, very pleased with our Paralympic rowing squad”, said GB Performance Director David Tanner today. “To win three medals from the four events is an astonishingly good
achievement. The results are a great credit to Chad King our head adaptive coach for all the hard work that he and his team have put in. We’re also proud to have contributed so positively to the overall medal tally for ParalympicsGB. We have been honoured, as a sport, to be part of the Paralympic Movement for the first time and we’ve truly appreciated the back-up and support we have receieved from the ParalympicsGB support staff out here in Beijing”.
GB’s Paralympic success mirrors that of it’s Olympic squad who also topped the table on the same water a few weeks ago. “We’re an integrated sport”, said Aggar after his race. “It was absolutely inspirational for us to watch the performances at the Olympic Games and now, to come here and do this ourselves is truly magnificent”.
